Australia's number one player, GM Zong-Yuan Zhao won the strong Bangkok Chess Club Open in the Pattaya resort in Thailand last month. The top seed was former world championship challenger, English GM Nigel Short. Zhao was among the leaders throughout, but the key moment came in the penultimate round, when he had to play Short with the black pieces. His dramatic victory over Short in today's game put Zhao into the clear lead, which he kept with a quick draw in the final round to finish first on 7½/9.
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.d3 Bg4 5.Nbd2 Nbd7 6.h3 Bh5 7.g4!? ---
Nigel Short has adapted his style towards competing in large opens since his world championship match 20 years ago. His use of offbeat systems, such as the Reti here, is designed to avoid well-studied opening theory and rely on his experience to outplay his opponents. 7.--- Bg6 8.Nh4 e5 9.e3 Bd6 10.Qe2 0-0!
Not fearing White's provocative pawn advances and relying on his lead in development. 11.Nxg6 fxg6 12.h4 Qe7 13.g5 Nh5 14.c4 e4! 15.dxe4 d4!
This double-pawn sacrifice wins the key dark squares f4 and e5 for the black knights and combined with the half-open e- and f-files places White under severe pressure. 16.exd4 Nf4 17.Qf1 c5 18.d5 Ne5 19.Kd1 b5!
Throwing a third pawn jab to open lines to the White king. Instead 19... Nfd3 20 f3 Ng4 21 Nb3 Ngf2+ 22 Kc2 b5 23 cxb5 c4 24 Nd4 allows the white knight to centralise. 20.cxb5 c4 21.f3 Rac8 22.Bh3 Rc7!
Threatening 23...c3 opening the c-file, whereas giving up his superb knight on f4 for the bishop would be a mistake. White defends the main threat. 23.Nb1! Nfd3 24.Be6+ Kh8 25.Rh3 Bc5 26.Nc3!? ---
Deciding to give up the queen to stem the attack, since neither the exchange nor the f-pawn can be saved. E.g. 26 f4 Nxc1! 27 Kxc1 Nd3+ 28 Kd1 (or 28 Rxd3 cxd3 29 Kd1 Be3! 30 Nc3 Qb4 31 Qxd3 Qxb2 breaking through) 28... Rxf4 29 Rf3 Rxe4 and White's position is falling apart. 26.--- Nf2+ 27.Ke2 Nxh3 28.Qxh3 Rxf3 29.Qxf3 Nxf3 30.Kxf3 Qf8+!
The start of a precise sequence forcing open the c-file for the black rook. 31.Bf4 Bd6 32.Ne2 c3 33.bxc3 Bxf4 34.Nxf4 Rxc3+ 35.Kg4 Qa3! 36.Rg1 Re3?!
Black's giant haymaker knockout only just misses. Here and on the next move ...Rf3! wins immediately because of the difficult to see, but unstoppable threat of ...Qe3! e.g. 36... Rf3! 37 Ne2 Qe3 38 Rg3 Qxe4+ 39 Kh3 Qxe2. However, Black retains a lead on points. 37.e5 Rxe5?! 38.Rg3 Qb4 39.Rb3 Qc4?! 40.Kg3?! ---
Right on the time control, both sides miss a drawing chance for White, exploiting the weakness of Black's back rank: 40 b6! axb6 41 Ra3! h5+! 42 Kg3! Kh7 43 Bf7 Qc8 44 Bxg6+ Kg8 45 Bxh5 Qf8 46 Rf3 although Black still has the upper hand. 40.--- Qc5 41.Rf3 Re1 42.Kh3 Re3!
Forcing the exchange of rooks, after which the queen soon overpowers the two minor pieces with the aid of a passed pawn. 43.Rxe3 Qxe3+ 44.Kg4 h5+! 45.gxh6 gxh6 46.Nxg6+ Kg7 47.Ne7 h5+ 48.Kf5 Qf3+ 49.Ke5 Qg3+ 50.Kf5 Qxh4 51.Nc6 Qc4 52.Ke5 Qxb5 53.Kd6 h4 54.Kc7 Qb6+ 55.Kc8 Kf6 56.a4 a5 57.Kd7 Qe3 58.Kc7 Qg3+ 59.Kb6 h3 60.Bxh3 Qxh3 61.Kxa5 Qb3 62.d6 Qc3+ 63.Kb6 Ke6 64.Nd8+ Kd7 65.Nb7 and White resigns
Zhao wins Bangkok open
Problem: White to play and win.
Australia's number one player, GM Zong-Yuan Zhao won the strong Bangkok Chess Club Open in the Pattaya resort in Thailand last month. The top seed was former world championship challenger, English GM Nigel Short. Zhao was among the leaders throughout, but the key moment came in the penultimate round, when he had to play Short with the black pieces. His dramatic victory over Short in today's game put Zhao into the clear lead, which he kept with a quick draw in the final round to finish first on 7½/9.
1.Nf3 d5
2.g3 Nf6
3.Bg2 c6
4.d3 Bg4
5.Nbd2 Nbd7
6.h3 Bh5
7.g4!? ---
Nigel Short has adapted his style towards competing in large opens since his world championship match 20 years ago. His use of offbeat systems, such as the Reti here, is designed to avoid well-studied opening theory and rely on his experience to outplay his opponents.
7.--- Bg6
8.Nh4 e5
9.e3 Bd6
10.Qe2 0-0!
Not fearing White's provocative pawn advances and relying on his lead in development.
11.Nxg6 fxg6
12.h4 Qe7
13.g5 Nh5
14.c4 e4!
15.dxe4 d4!
This double-pawn sacrifice wins the key dark squares f4 and e5 for the black knights and combined with the half-open e- and f-files places White under severe pressure.
16.exd4 Nf4
17.Qf1 c5
18.d5 Ne5
19.Kd1 b5!
Throwing a third pawn jab to open lines to the White king. Instead 19... Nfd3 20 f3 Ng4 21 Nb3 Ngf2+ 22 Kc2 b5 23 cxb5 c4 24 Nd4 allows the white knight to centralise.
20.cxb5 c4
21.f3 Rac8
22.Bh3 Rc7!
Threatening 23...c3 opening the c-file, whereas giving up his superb knight on f4 for the bishop would be a mistake. White defends the main threat.
23.Nb1! Nfd3
24.Be6+ Kh8
25.Rh3 Bc5
26.Nc3!? ---
Deciding to give up the queen to stem the attack, since neither the exchange nor the f-pawn can be saved. E.g. 26 f4 Nxc1! 27 Kxc1 Nd3+ 28 Kd1 (or 28 Rxd3 cxd3 29 Kd1 Be3! 30 Nc3 Qb4 31 Qxd3 Qxb2 breaking through) 28... Rxf4 29 Rf3 Rxe4 and White's position is falling apart.
26.--- Nf2+
27.Ke2 Nxh3
28.Qxh3 Rxf3
29.Qxf3 Nxf3
30.Kxf3 Qf8+!
The start of a precise sequence forcing open the c-file for the black rook.
31.Bf4 Bd6
32.Ne2 c3
33.bxc3 Bxf4
34.Nxf4 Rxc3+
35.Kg4 Qa3!
36.Rg1 Re3?!
Black's giant haymaker knockout only just misses. Here and on the next move ...Rf3! wins immediately because of the difficult to see, but unstoppable threat of ...Qe3! e.g. 36... Rf3! 37 Ne2 Qe3 38 Rg3 Qxe4+ 39 Kh3 Qxe2. However, Black retains a lead on points.
37.e5 Rxe5?!
38.Rg3 Qb4
39.Rb3 Qc4?!
40.Kg3?! ---
Right on the time control, both sides miss a drawing chance for White, exploiting the weakness of Black's back rank: 40 b6! axb6 41 Ra3! h5+! 42 Kg3! Kh7 43 Bf7 Qc8 44 Bxg6+ Kg8 45 Bxh5 Qf8 46 Rf3 although Black still has the upper hand.
40.--- Qc5
41.Rf3 Re1
42.Kh3 Re3!
Forcing the exchange of rooks, after which the queen soon overpowers the two minor pieces with the aid of a passed pawn.
43.Rxe3 Qxe3+
44.Kg4 h5+!
45.gxh6 gxh6
46.Nxg6+ Kg7
47.Ne7 h5+
48.Kf5 Qf3+
49.Ke5 Qg3+
50.Kf5 Qxh4
51.Nc6 Qc4
52.Ke5 Qxb5
53.Kd6 h4
54.Kc7 Qb6+
55.Kc8 Kf6
56.a4 a5
57.Kd7 Qe3
58.Kc7 Qg3+
59.Kb6 h3
60.Bxh3 Qxh3
61.Kxa5 Qb3
62.d6 Qc3+
63.Kb6 Ke6
64.Nd8+ Kd7
65.Nb7 and White resigns
0-1
Solution: 1 Bh6! Qc8 (else 2 Qf8+! mates, 1... Qf5+ 2 Kg1 Resigns – Short-Czebe, Bangkok 2013) 2 Rxe4! Rd8 3 Qf8+! Rxf8 4 gxf8=Q+ Qxf8 5 Rg4+! etc.